Stock handling apparatus



Sept. 12, 1950 c. E. FULLER 2,522,170

' STOCK HANDLING APPARATUS Filed June 24, 1946 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept. 12, 1950 Filed June 24, 1946 C. E. FULLER STOCK HANDLING APPARATUS 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 I nvenlor CYR/L E. FULLER.

3 Sheets-Sheet 3 j 0mm E. FULLER I v Q D By 3M Sept. 12, 1,950 4 c. E.. FULLER STOCK HANDLING APPARATUS Flled June 24 1946 Patented Sept. 12, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE STOCK HANDLING APPARATUS CyrilE. Fuller, Pringle, S. Dak.

Application June 24 1946, Serial No. crass;

2 Claims.

This invention relates to stock handling apparatus of the. typecommercially known as "branding chutes and adapted for confining and firmly holding the? animal when performing such operations as branding; (lemming-{eta The primary object of the present invention. is. to. provide an improved apparatus of the above kind which iscomparatively simple and durable in construction, efiicient inuse, and easy'and convenient to use.

A. further object of theinvention is to provide an apparatus of: the. abos e kind by means of which the desired operations may" be expeditiously performed in. a-safe manner; and which will readily accommodate: animals of di-fiferent sizes.

The present invention; consists in the novel form, combination and arrangement of. parts Figure 4 is a vertical transverse section taken.

online 4-4 of Figural Referring in detail tothe drawings, the illus trated embodiment of the invention includes a suitable base 5 having a floor 6. Front and rear pairs of spaced posts. I B, respectively, are

rigid with and. rise from the base .5 and are connected at their upper. ends by cross pieces Sand.

l0, respectively. 7 l

Spaced sidewalls ll. and 12; are mounted on the base, respectively between. the front and rear posts .1 and B. at each side of the base. The side wall H is rigid with thebase and the upper por tions of the adjacent posts I and 8, and is. inclined inwardly of the lower portions. of the latter posts toward the bottom of the side wall l2. The side wall 12 is hinged to the base 5 as at l3 for swinging adjustment toward .the side wall H, and manually releasable means is provided to secure the wall l2 in different positions of adjustment. The latter means includes a transversely disposed rack segment l4 arranged concentric with the pivots of the hinges l3 and attached at one end, as at IE, to the upper portion of a vertical bar l8 rigidly secured to the outer side of and extending above the stationary side wall I]. A further vertical post I! is rigidly mounted on the base 5 at theouter side-of and intermediate the ends of. the

hinged well 1.2,. and the other end or segment 14 is attachedat I8 to the upper portion ofv this post IL. A further vertical bar I9 is rigidly secured to the outer side of the hinged side wall 12 intermediatethe ends of thelattenand theupper portion of the bar l9 engages one side of the segment I and projects above thelatter. Pivoted at Zll tothe upper portion of the bar [,9 directly above. the segment 1.4. is a hinged latch 21 yieldingly engaged with the segment M by means of a spring 22 The teeth of the segment I 4 are of ratchet formation and so disposed that engagement of latch 2 l with any tooth will prevent swinging. movement of the hinged side wall l2 away fromthe stationary side wall I l. Attached to the upper end of the latch 2.! is a pull. cord 23 that is extended across the top of the device and over a guide 24 mounted on the upper end of. the bar |6,,said cord 23 depending from the guide 24 and terminating in a handle 25. By pulling downwardly on the handle 25, the latch. 2| may be disengaged from the segment. 14 to permit swinging oi the side wall 12 away from the side wall II to the desired position of. adjustment. A. brace 26 connects the upper end of the post 1.! with the upper ends. of the posts 1 and 8 at the adjacent side of the device. 7

Each of the side walls I l and I2 includes a barred. upper portion and a solid lower portion. Preferably, each side wall consists of a rectangular framev .21 having a horizontal cross-bar 28 intermediate the top and bottom thereof, the lower portion of the wall including boards 2.9 laid across and secured to the sidemembers of the frame, and

atop board or section 30 hinged at 3| to the uppermost board 29 at a point below the cross-bar 28 to swing inwardly and downwardly to open position. When the sections 30 are opened, access to lower portions of the confined animal is facilitated. The barred upper portion of each side wall includes a plurality of spaced, vertical bars 32. secured at their lower ends in sockets 33 provided in the. cross-bar 28, and secured to and extending through openings. in the upper member of 3 the frame 21. Bars 32 are spaced sufficiently to permit access to the confined animal therebetween.

A horizontally swinging gate 34 is hinged at 35 to the front post I adjacent the hinged side wall l2, for closing the space between the side walls at the front thereof. Means is provided to fasten the gate 34 in closed position including cooperating fastener elements 36 and 31 mounted on the gate and the other front post I, respectively. These fastener elements are respectively shown as a swinging hasp and a cooperating keeper loop that may receive the shackle of a padlock, .or the like. The gate 34 has an inverted triangular opening 38 therein for passage of the animals head therethrough, and a swinging clamping bar 39 is pivoted to the gate 34 as at 40.

for engagement with the animals neck. The clamping bar 39 is pivoted at its lower end, and a rod ii is fixed near its lower end, as at 42, to

project above the latter. A tension spring 42'- opening 38 with opposite sides of the animal's neck.

Undesirable rearward movement of the animal is also effectively prevented by means of a vertically sliding gate 55 mounted in guides 56 carried by the rear posts 8. Gate 55 lowers by gravity and is of a short height, being lowered directly behind the animal to prevent the latter from backing from between the walls II and [2. Gate 55 may also be sufliciently elevated as to be entirely out of the way and permit the animal to be led into the space between the walls I l and I2 through the rear end of the device. In order-toelevate the gate 55, a pull cord 51 is attached to the latter andpassed upwardly over a guide 58 mounted on the cross piece [0. Cord 51 is then extended laterally over another guide a 59 mounted on: the end of cross piece In adjacent the upper end of the clamping bar 39 so as to h connects the bar 39 with the door 34 at a point 4y outwardly of the bar 39 as at 43. Pivoted to the rod abovethe bar 39, as at 44, is a hinged latch 45"arranged to engage the'teeth of arack segment 46 secured to the gate 34 concentric. with the pivot 40 of clamping bar 39/ Latch 45 is 'engaged with the teeth of segment 46 bya" spring 41,'and the teeth of segment, 46 are of ratchet formation and so disposed that engagemerit of latch 45 with a tooth of said segment will prevent material movement of clamping bar 39 away fromv the animals neck disposed in the opening 38, A stop loop 45' is attached to latch 5 ahd'embracessegment 46 to limit movement of s'ai'd'latch to a point wherein it is disengaged from said segment. In order to swing the clampingbar 39 into engagement with the animal's neck; apull cord is attached to the upp r end off-rod l! and is extended laterally to the free verticaledgeof gate 34, where it passes over a' guide'AB mounted on the upper end of a bar 56 secured to the top of gate 34. From the guide 49', cord 48 depends at the free edge of door 34 where it is providedwith a handle 5| within con-' venient reach of an attendant standing on the ground or the base 5 at this side of the apparatus. fQbviouslygby pulling downwardly on 'handle '5 i, clamping bar'39 may be swung in a direction to "suitably restrict the opening 38 andinto engagement with the adjacent side of the animals neck protruding through said opening. I In orderto manually releasethe latch 45, apull cord 52 is attached-to the upper end of the latter and extended over another guide 53 carried by the bar 56 beneath the guide 49, This cord 53 has a depending free'en'd portion equipped with a handle '54 which may be pulled downwardly to' release the latch 45 from the segment 46 so that clamping bar 39 ma be swung awa from the animals neck when it is desired to release the. animal. At this time, it is noted that the animal is-"led into'position between the walls II and i2 out of the opening 38 by clamping engagement of 'the"bar 39 "and the opposite side wall'of the With the and above the stationary or fixed wall H. Cord 5'! has a depending outer or free end portion equipped with a handle 60 which may be conveniently reached for pulling downwardl thereon andcausing the cord 51 to elevate the gate 55. Any suitable means 'Z'may be provided for releasably securing the gate 55 in raised position;

Thegeneral-manner of use of devices of this. general character being well known in the'art; and the purpose and operation of the various" elements of the present device having been ex plained as thedescription of the construction progressed, it is believed that further 'explana-f tion oftheoperationis'unnecessary therein. It

will be apparent to those skilled in-the'art that the present invention is so constructed as" to effectively carryout the stated objects of the invention and meet with the requirements for a Minor changes' are the c r 9.

successful commercial use. contemplated, such as fall within the invention as claimed.

What I claim as new is:

1. In 'a' stock confining and holding chute,

base having a floor, front and 'rear petirsbf? spaced posts rigid with'and rising from said base spaced downwardly converging side walls mount ed on the base respectively between the front and termediate the ends'thereof, a further post rigidly mounted on the baseoutwardly of and ,interme" diate the ends of the hinged side wall, an arouate ratchet segment concentric with the, pivotal axis of the hinged side wall andengaging one'side of the bar attached to the hingedside wall/said ratchet segment being attached at one end to' the upper portion 0'1 the vertical bar secured .to the stationary side wall and atthe other end to the upper portion of said further post, a vertical,

hinged latch pivoted to the upper portion of the bar secured to th'e hinged side wall and yield'ingly, engaged 'at its lower end with the ratchet seg ment, a guide'mounted'o n theu'pper end of the bar secured to the stationary side wall, and a pull,

cord attached at one end to the upper end of said latch and extending over saidguide.

2. The construction defined in claim 1, wherein I each'side wall comprises arectangular frame having vertical, side members and. top, bottom and intermediate horizontal members, a..plu .rality of boards' laid'across the inner sideslof iandj. secured to the side members between'the' inter-" mediate and bottom members, the upper board being hinged to swing inwardly and downwardly to open position, and a plurality of spaced vertical bars extending through the top member and seated at their lower ends in the intermediate 5 member.

CYRIL E. FULLER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the l file of this patent:

Number McDonough Mar. 23, 1948 

